Matters of the Heart
by DFM
Summary: Castle and Beckett get help from an unlikely source. Post-ep for A Deadly Game.


**Title:** Matters of the Heart

**Pairings:** Castle/Beckett

**Rating:** PG

**Summary:** Castle and Beckett get help from an unlikely source. Post-ep for _A Deadly Game_.

**Disclaimer:** If it looks or sounds like something from Castle, I don't own it.

**Spoilers:** A Deadly Game

**A/N: **Okay, so I needed to write something after the episode.

* * *

Demming was having a crappy day. Well, he hadn't been until about 20 minutes ago when he'd been dumped by the woman he was crazy about for another guy. Sighing, he stepped into the elevator, ready to go home and have a couple more beers than was probably wise.

He barely contained a groan when the elevator stopped at homicide. 'Please,' he prayed. 'Don't let Kate get on this elevator. I will donate to whatever charity my sad cop-salary can afford, but I can't deal with that right now.'

He opened his eyes, just as the doors slid open and was reminded that God had an odd sense of humor.

'Maybe I should have been more specific,' he grumbled inwardly, as Castle hesitated for only a moment before stepping in with a blonde attached to his arm. 'Who the hell is she?'

"Demming."

"Castle."

"You getting off here? Beckett's still here if you need to catch her."

Demming had never wanted to punch someone so hard in his life. Instead, he did the next best thing he could think of. "Excuse us," he said to the blonde, before latching onto Castle's arm and pulling him out of the elevator just before the doors closed.

"You're freakishly strong, do you know that?" Castle asked as he was dragged through the bullpen. Demming ignored him, glancing around. He finally spotted her, standing in a corner, talking in a low whisper with her friend, Lanie.

Never letting go of Castle's arm, he marched straight over to the pair.

"You didn't tell him?" he demanded without preamble.

Beckett's eyes widened in fear, but Demming could tell that she'd been on the verge of tears not moments before so he steeled himself against it.

"Tom -- "

"No! You broke up with me for this idiot! He's damn well going to hear about it!"

Castle's eyes widened to almost match the size of Beckett's, who for her part had just gone very pale.

"You did what?" Castle croaked.

Unfortunately for him, that meant drawing Demming's attention. "And you! You've been sulking around here for weeks! Acting like a kid who can't get the head cheerleader to notice him! And now you've got some blonde glued to your side?"

"I -- "

"Tom, please, this isn't any of your -- "

"Business? Both of you made it my business! I _asked_ if there was anything going on and was told no! Now, that was clearly a lie, but you two are damn well going to fix this because I am not paying half on a cabin that no one is going to use for nothing!"

There was a deadly silence that fell over the group, as Demming took a deep breath.

"Okay..." Lanie said, finally breaking the silence, "let's get you a beer, Tom. You look like you could use one." She whispered something to Beckett, who nodded, though her eyes were locked with Castle's, before walking him into the conference room where Ryan, Esposito, and the Captain were watching the show with rapt fascination.

##

"Where's Gina?" Beckett winced internally as the question escaped her, but she couldn't think of what else to say...

"Wha--?" Apparently, that hadn't been what Castle was expecting either. His brow furrowed, and he looked around as if he expected to see his ex-wife/publisher/whatever-the-hell-she-was-now. "I don't know. She was on the elevator with me and then..."

"You better go find her. That's no way to start a vacation."

Beckett tried to smile before turning to walk away. Castle caught her arm and turned her back. "Was any of that true or has Demming just gone crazy?"

Briefly she let her eyes close, not wanting to meet his intense gaze, but after a moment she forced herself to. "It doesn't matter."

"It matters."

His voice was so earnest, and his eyes were so lost that she felt her resolve crumpling. "Yes, but I'm not going to get in between -- "

That was as far as she got. In one swift movement, he stepped forward and was cupping her face in his hands. Not waiting for any acknowledgment, he tilted his head down and captured her mouth with his in a fierce kiss. She only resisted for a moment, before all of the tension seeped out of her body, and she nearly collapsed into his embrace.

"Rick!" Gina's harsh voice cut through their haze, causing them to spring apart in surprise.

"I've got to go talk to her, don't I?" Castle whispered, looking like he would rather have all of his nails pulled out with needle-nose pliers.

"Yeah," Beckett agreed, trying to get her breathing under control.

"You won't let her kill me, right?"

"Not today..."

**The End**


End file.
